Handle for bottle carriers



Feb. 27, 1951 s. N. LEBOLD 2,543,698

HANDLE FOR BOTTLE CARRIERS Filed June 14. 1946 2 sums-sheet 1 IN V ENTOR.

Feb. 27, 1951 s. N. LEBOLD nmuamz FOR BOTTLE cmmzs Filed June 14, 1946 2Shuts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. fianzaai N ZeboZaL BY @w/ZM/W- @9 Patented Feb.27, 1951 HANDLE FORBOTTLE CARRIERS Samuel N. Lebold, Chicago, Ill.,assignor to Morris Paper Mills, Chicago, III., a corporation of IllinoisApplication June 14, 1946, Serial No. 676,787

4 Claims.

Thls invention relates to improvements in a bottle carrier or package ofthe type employed in transporting a number of beverage bottles to andfrom a store. More particularly, the invention concerns a novelcombination of such a carrier and a special suspending handle therefor,and details of construction of the handle itself.

It is an object of the invention to provide a carrier for apredetermined number of bottles of uniform size, all supported withinthe peripheral walls of the container on either side of a medialpartition panel of the latter, and a suspending handle associated withsaid partition in a novel manner enabling a substantial decrease in thevertical dimension of the Partition, while still permitting the carrierand contents to be comfortably and conveniently suspendedin the hand inuse.

A further object is to provide a combined carrier and separate removablehandle therefor characterized by the ease and speed with which thehandle may be associated with the carrier, said handle and carrierhaving coacting provisions enabling the handle to be supported either inan upright position to facilitate insertion of articles into thecarrier, or in an inoperative withdrawn position beneath the upper levelof the bottles and within the lateral confines of the carrier, thuspermitting a number of filled carriers to be stacked vertically upon oneanother and in side-by-side contacting relation.

A further object is to provide an improved paper board suspending handlefor paper board bottle carriers of the type characterized by a centalupstandinrg panel terminating vertically beneath the tops of bottlesdisposed in the carrier, said handle having novel provisions enablingrapid assembly thereof with the carrier, and being readily retractableto an inoperative position below the level of the bottle tops.

A still further object is to provide a paper board suspending handle ofthe type described adapted for association with the referred to centralpanel of the carrier in the manner of a supporting sling which straddlesopposite sides of said handle, the handle being readily slidablevertically between its operative carrying position and inoperativelowered position.

The foregoing statements are generally indicative of the nature of theinvention, but other and more specific objects will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art upon a full understanding of the construction andoperation of the device.

Various embodiments of the invention are presented herein for purpose ofexempliiication, but it will be appreciated that the invention issuspectible of incorporation in other modified forms coming equallywithin the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a preferred form of thepresent invention, including a paper board carrier, a number of bottlescontained therein and a suspending grip or handle associated with thecarrier, the bottles being illustrated in dotted line for clarity ofillustration, and the handle being shown in its operative, elevatedcarrying position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, illustratlng'a pair ofcarriers in vertically aligned, stacked relation, the handle being shownin a retracted or inoperative position permitting such stacking;

Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating the separate handle in its fiatcondition as blanked out of a sheet of stock, indicating in dotted linesthe method of manipulating the handle for assembly with the carrier;

Fig. 4 is a view in vertical transverse section, more clearlyillustrating the relation of the parts in elevated and retractedpositions, as indicated respectively in solid and dottedlines;

Fig. 4A is a fragmentary view in elevation, illustrating the carrier inthe flat knock-down condition thereof;

Fig. 4B is a fragmentary perspective view showing the mode ofassociating the handle and carrier in said flat condition of the latter;and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified embodiment.

This invention relates in general to improvements in a bottle carrier ofthe type illustrated and described in my U. S. Patent No. 2,389,318,dated November 20, 1945, and in particular to an improved suspendinghandle for such a carrier. The patent referred to describes atconsiderable length the advantages .of providing a medial suspendingpanel for a carrier of this sort, which panel is proportioned anddisposed to extend not higher than the top of bottles in the carrier.Briefly stated, a substantial saving in production cost is effected dueto the economy of stock made possible by the feature; and it is possibleto stack filled cartons one on top of the other in a vertically aligned,side-by-side arrangement, rather than the laterally staggeredarrangement to which earlier cartons were restricted, by reason of theirprojecting handie. Moreover, it obviates weakening of the handle portionby bending the same over the tops of the closures of the bottles toenable vertical stacking (a pre-formed crease was commonly provided inthe handle for this purpose). A marked improvement in strength andrigidity also results from the lowering of the point of suspension ofthe carrier.

All of these substantial advantages are retained in the presentconstruction, which employs a separate, pre-formed grip member easilyand quickly associated with the carrier and extending thereabove to aconveniently accessible height for grasping. As an additional feature,said handle is readily and quickly retractable to an inoperativeposition beneath the level of the bottle caps, enabling the abovereferred to, vertically aligned stacking of filled carriers. It may alsobe sustained in vertical. alignment with the central panel duringloading of the carrier. Hence. when filled, the carrier presents anupstanding handle conveniently located for grasping and transportation.

The carrier of the present invention, generally designated by thereference numeral I0, is similar to that illustrated and described inthe above identified patent. This carrier is of one-piece construction,comprising a bottom and parallel, bendably connected side walls I I andend walls l2 fabricated from paper board stock. The constructlon of thecarrier permits the use of a relatively light grade of stock, all asdescribed in the patent above referred to, to which reference may be hadfor disclosure of these details. As also illustrated and described atlength therein, the carrier is provided with a central, verticalpartition and suspending panel I3 extending parallel to side walls IIand bendably connected at its ends to the walls I2. Partition panel I3is of double ply thickness (see Fig. 4) and extends upwardly toconstitute a. suspending handle member I4 which is likewise of doublethickness. Transverse partition strips I5, integrally and bendablyconnected at their lateral extremities to the side walls II andpartition panel I3, extend at right angles therebetween in a verticallystaggered or stepped arrangement longitudinally of the carrier, tosubdivide the space on either side of partition panel I3 into threeequal sized, rectangular compartments I6. Each of these compartments isof a width generally corresponding to the maximum diameter of thebottles I! disposed in the same, enabling insertion of the bottiesbottom end first.

The suspending member I4 extends no higher than the upper level of theclosures on bottles II in operative, supported disposition of saidbottles in the carrier I0, and preferably lies somewhat below the topsof said bottles. This is of importance for the various reasons brieflyreferred to aboy. To particularize, in connection with the economy ofstock which is realized, while the number of carton blanks that can bedisposed laterally across a printing and/or cutting cylinder of say 70inches diameter is more or less fixed, by reason of the standardizationof cylinder lengths within certain limits, the number which can bearranged peripherally of the cylinder may be materially increased ordiminished in accordance with the vertical dimension of the carton.Accordingly, it is apparent that a high suspending handle I4 wouldincrease the manufacturing cost from the, standpoints of output speedand cost of material. A plurality of cartons embodying the features ofthe patent, and also in accordance with this invention, may be stackedin direct vertical alignment, one on top of the other, with completestability, as herein illustrated at Fig. 2. It is unnecessary to weakenany portion of the central panel I3, I4 by creasing,

scoring or bending an upstanding end of the same In my patent referredto, the package shown and described is suspended by hand holes formed inthe portion of the carrier corresponding to suspending handle I4, theknuckles of the user engaging the bottles and thrusting the sameoutwardly so as to effect a snug nesting of the user's hand therein.This results in a minimization of lateral instability and consequentwracking tendency, along with other advantages, all as pointed out indetail in the patent. These hand holes are retained in handle I4, beingdesignated I4, so as to be available for use if desired. However,additional suspending means is also provided.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a separatesuspending handle is employed, generally designated by the referencenumeral I8. This handle is died out of a sheet of cardboard of anappropriate gauge to aiford the desired carrying strength, the diedblankbeing illustrated in Fig. 3 and designated I9. It is symmetrical inoutline on'opposite sides of a transverse, central, creased bend line20, comprising rectangular sling portions 2I, 22 on either side of saidbend line and laterally enlarged handle portions 23, 24 at the ends ofthe respective sling portions. 1 i 1 One of the handle portions has anoblong hand grip opening 25 formed therein; the other portion 24 isslitted at 26 and creased or scored at 21 in an outline similar to theopening 25, leaving a bendable tab 28 connected thereto. The length ofthis tab is somewhat greater than the corresponding dimension of opening25 for a purpose to be referred to. Further parallel longitudinalcreases 29 are formed on handle portion 24 in alignment with the sidesof the sling portion 22, these creases extending into intersection withthe opposed sides of the opening 25.

In applying the above described handle to the carrier III, the opposedlateral wings 30 which are defined by creases 29 are folded toward oneanother into compact flat and overlapped relation, in face-to-facecontact with one another on the body of the handle portion 24, asillustrated in dotted line in Fig. 3. This reduces the width of thehandle 24 to that of the sling and permits its introduction beneath thecentral panel I3 of the carrier, after which the handle is released andreturns to flat condition. The sling portions 2|, 22 are then broughttogether around the crease line 20 and the tab 28 defined by slit 26 isinserted through the opening 25 to secure the handle portions 23', 24together. The ends of the tab flex to permit this insertion, then snapback to act as locks which prevent inadvertent return of the parts toinoperative position.

It will be noted that panel I3 is cut out or slotted somewhat above thecentral compartment I 6 to provide a slightly enlarged opening I3 abovethe medial portion of side wall II, in the flat, collapsed or knock-downcondition of the carrier, as illustrated in Fig. 4A. This enables theready threading insertion of the preliminarily folded handle I8 whilethe carrier is in said knock-down condition.

In the operative position of the handle member I8, a convenient carryinggrip is afforded, as illustrated in Fig. 1, yet the handle member may bereadily pushed downwardly to a position ila lustrated in Fig. 2 and indotted line in Fig. 4, at or below the tops of the bottles in thecarrier. This permits vertical stacking and the numerous otheradvantages referred to above. The laterally projecting tab 28 limitsdownward movement beyond this point by engaging the top margin of panell4, leaving the handle conveniently accessible for later grasping.

In Fig. 5 a slightly modified embodiment of the structure of Figs. 1-4is illustrated. In this form, details of the handle member [8 are ingeneral the same as described above. However, this handle member isinserted in a transverse elongated slot 3| formed in the central panell3, I, rather than underneath said panel as in the embodiment of Fig. 1.Obviously, this permits manufacture of the handles l8 from a smalleramount of stock while still bringing the hand hole sufficiently abovethe bottle tops to afford a convenient grip. The handle is slidinglydepressible parallel to panel l3 after being slightly flexed laterallyto clear the bend line 20 from slot 3!. Limitation of its downwardmovement is provided in the same manner as in the form of the inventionshown in Figs. 1-4 inclusive.

Various other modified constructions of a handle adapted for connectionto the suspending panel H of the carrier illustrated or to a similarmember on a related type of carton will readily suggest themselves tothose skilled in the art. It is appreciated that the handle may befabricated of many different materials and I therefore desire that theinvention be not unduly construed in this regard; Likewise, whileparticularly adapted for association with a bottle carrier such as shownin theabove identified patent, its utility in connection with othertypes of cartons is apparent. Regardless of its particular form, thepresent construction provides a package of highly compact and economicalcharacter, including a carrier and associated handle capable of beingcomfortably transported by the user, and proof against destructiveaction between handle and carrier when so used, the handle being quicklyand easily positionable in any desired relation to its associatedcarrier, depending upon the operation which is to be performed. All ofthe benefits characterizing the depressed central panel which areoutlined above and in the referred to patent are retained in the presentstructure.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 through 43, the slittedhand holes I4, of the type shown in the above identified patent, also inmy copending application, Serial No. 776,553, filed September 27, 1947,now Patent Number 2,460,229 dated January 25, 1949, are retained in thecentral suspending portion 14 of the carrier. Thus, if it is not desiredto employ the separate handle contemplated by this invention, or if suchhandles are not available, the user still has the means to get a firmand comfortable grip on the carrier to transport the same as describedin the patent and application.

I claim:

1. Supporting means for an article carrier of the type having anupstanding suspending panel, comprising a suspending handle of flexible,nonmetallic, sheet-like material including an elongated horizontalportion supportingly engageable beneath a portion of said panel along anelongated line of contact, a grip portion extending substantially abovethe top of said panel in operative carrying position thereon, and slingportions integrally connected to one another at said contact line and tosaid grip portion medially oi the width 'of the latter, with referenceto the direction of said contact line, said sling portions laterallyembracing and extending above the panel on eitherside of said contactline, said handle being retractable relative to said panel to positionsaid grip portion in substantially withdrawn relation to the top of saidpanel.

2. Supporting means for an article carrier of the type having anupstanding suspending panel, comprising a suspending handle for thecarrier including a flexible paper board member having sling portionsintegrally connected along an elongated transverse bend line which isengageable, in operative carrying position in suspending relation tosaid panel along an elongated line of contact, said sling portions beingadapted to parallel the sides of the panel, and grip elements on saidrespective sling portions for grasping the handle to suspend thecarrier, said sling portions being connected to said respective gripportions medially of the latter, with reference to the direction of saidtransverse bend line.

3. Supporting means for an article carrier of the type having anupstanding suspending panel, comprising a suspending handle for thecarrier including a flexible paper board member having sling portionsintegrally connected along an elongated transverse bend line which isengageable, in operative carrying position, in suspending relation tosaid panel along an elongated line of contact, said sling portions beingadapted to parallel the sides of the panel, and grip elements on saidrespective sling portions for grasping the handle to suspend thecarrier, one of said grip portions being creased for bending in thedirection of the length of said member to facilitate assembly to thecarrier, said sling portions being connected to said respective gripportions medially of the latter, with reference to the direction of saidtransverse bend line.

4. A suspending handle for a bottle carrier adapted to be supportinglyengaged with a carrier through an opening in the latter, comprising aone-piece, elongated and flexible fibrous sling member having a pair oflegs integrally connected to one another at a transverse fold line andcoacting grip portions of width greater than that of the legs integrallyconnected thereto at the opposed ends thereof, at least one of said gripportions being longitudinally creased for transverse folding to therebydecrease its width and enable insertion in said carrier opening insupporting engagement with the carrier at said fold line.

, SAMUEL N. LEBOLD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,359,461 Luce Nov. 16, 19201,906,647 Smith May 2, 1933 2,162,235 Vaughn June 13, 1939 2,284,682Powell June 2, 1942 2,377,520 Robinson, Jr. et al. June 5, 19452,397,898 Wesselman Apr. 2, 1946 2,424,277 Klein July 22, 1947 2,425,140Allen Aug. 5, 1947 2,431,932 Hall Dec. 2, 1947

